Friday, October 1, 2010

"The Social Network" Review

The genius of “The Social Network” begins with the story that inspired it. The tagline on its poster, “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies,” perfectly conveys the inherent dramatic irony; royal narcissist Mark Zuckerberg is today the champion of the web’s most popular socialization tool, Facebook.

It’s rich soil for screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who imbues the material with his signature wit and a searing theatricality. Frankly, I’m not concerned with what small liberties his brilliant script took along the way—Not that even the most obscene inaccuracy could stymie the momentum he builds. The film is guiltier of embellishment than falsification, a crime for which he and director David Fincher should be awarded our highest praise. Fincher knocks this one out of the park with confident cinematography, nuanced performances from his cast, and layered storytelling that lends the film its surprising depth. On its surface, “The Social Network” is funny, brisk, and compelling, but underneath, it’s near rotting with angst.

Its moodiness and purposeful visual melodrama are its most unique assets. Fincher approaches the story from the position of Zuckerberg himself, striving for the honest emotional experience of each scene, with all the grandiosity of a nineteen year old’s perspective. To the layman, that means he finds a way to make sitting at a computer, or having a conversation in a crowded nightclub seem invigorating and fresh.

“The Social Network” is immediately in contention as his best film, but as much as Fincher brings to it, the lion’s share of the Mark Zuckerberg experience is etched in the long, perpetually unsmiling face of Jesse Eisenberg, who portrays him in the film. Eisenberg has a history of taking on lighter roles in comedies like “Zombieland” that has prompted some to unfairly label him “the poor man’s Michael Cera,” (though the comments seem to stem from Cera bashers themselves—There’s no pleasing those guys). Eisenberg’s turn here should slap the cynicism from any remaining doubters’ mouths. He owns the role; the callous calculation, the condescending sense of humor, and the introverted inner pain are expertly realized, and yet the true testament to Eisenberg is that Zuckerberg at his worst is a character impossible to truly hate.

And Eisenberg is matched by a cast of equal talent; Andrew Garfield plays Facebook’s co-founder, Eduardo Saverin, and Armie Hammer plays both of the Winklevoss twins, who together bring suit against Mark for intelligent property theft. The beauty of each character is that despite their muckraking in the deposition room, which acts as a framing device in “The Social Network,” none ultimately feels like the antagonist. As with the best cinematic scuffles, we indentify with both sides.

But as beautifully as the stars aligned for what is insofar the best film of 2010, “The Social Network” is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Its underlying themes of capitalist corrosion and the price of success are made all the more poignant given the age of its participants. Fincher has jokingly referred to the film as “The Citizen Kane on John Hughes movies,” but he honestly isn’t far off. Young love, rebelliousness, arrogance, and burgeoning identity play major roles in shaping the behavior of Sorkin’s characters.

And yet, for all their bitterness and hostility, “The Social Network” is still an exciting, encouraging film. Somewhere beneath the veneer, alongside the greased cogs in its innermost workings, the power of Mark’s idea gestates. Facebook, as silly and as trivial a subject as it may seem, is for many an essential communicative hub in their day-to-day lives. Watching Zuckerberg succeed beyond his wildest dreams, literally bringing strangers together while pushing his friends away, paints an oddly optimistic portrait.

The future for the internet generation seems bright in Fincher’s mind. Even as we make the gradual shift to living our lives electronically, even when we’re polluted by a consumer culture, and even when we lose sight of our humanity, some kid can still change the world.

About Us

Colin George

Captain & Host

Colin graduated from film school into a world shockingly devoid of film-related jobs. He makes the best of this curious anomaly by lending his expertise to the internet. God help this poor, misguided fool.

Brian Crawford

Local Favorite

The Kremlin with gremlins named Melvin/ Who all want to be local fave/ Were sent to the grave/ For they misbehaved/ And I was given the title.

Kevin Mauer

Studio Manager

Kevin is a guy. He likes reading, writing, and reading about writing, but he HATES writing about reading. He also likes movies and is quite prone to watching films.

Jonathan Mauer

Adventurer Extraordinaire

After spending six months hiking the Appalachian Trail, normal life is dull by comparison. Jonathan wards off the dulldrums as a cash register jockey for the populous chain REI, working the third shift at QVC, and watching TV shows (that may or may not be Law and Order) while probably drinking excessive amounts of alcohol (with or without Suman). Sometimes he writes and takes pictures.

Suman Allakki

Knucklehead

Suman has inhabited six countries, is not a citizen of the US, but IS a licensed pilot. Suman can be found watching bad movies on Xbox (via Sonic's Netflix account), running marathons, drinking excessive amounts of water, and avoiding the law. Currently moving back to glorious Princeton, NJ.

Sonic Kim

Co-host (when applicable)

A pseudo student in Drexel University's Film and Video program, Francisco Sonic (yes, that's his real middle name) Kim is currently taking a hiatus from film school to, well, make films. Sometimes he says funny things.

Tyler Drown

Friend of the Show

Tyler Drown was born some time ago and learned to be cool through hard work and perseverance. One day he realized some films are more enjoyable and better made than others. In 2009 he was granted a degree in International Business and Entrepreneurship and a minor in World History & Politics. Fresh from Amman, Jordan, Tyler is now making a life for himself in New York City.

Brian Johanson

Big Apple Corespondent

Some call him haggard. Others, a demon in the sack. To some he is known as the guy watching them sleep as he mutters to himself. But most people just call him Brian.

Maggie Ruder

nth Timer

Maggie does a wicked good impression of a filmmaker. Currently she works as the Design Director of the Philadelphia Film Society/Festival, as well as doing graphic, environmental and production design for various organizations in and around Philadelphia. She enjoys free paper samples, reading in the hammock and long walks in third world countries. Maggie will be in the Philippines for the next year working for the art department of a feature film.

Sometimes she presses buttons and turns knobs when Micah isn't around. Other times she is suckered into hosting when everyone else is busy. When not dwelling on how woefully poor she is, Laura spends her time playing with her parrot, teaching herself about podcasting, and delving into the wonderful world of post sound.

Micah Haun

Master of Sound

When he isn't making sweet animations or foul comments about Apple products, Micah is commander of the Almighty Firepod, keeping voices from peaking, volume from rising, and our love of films from getting just a little bit TOO loud.